5 Types Of Acne Scars; Treatment
Looking for the types of acne scars? A scar forms when the skin repairs a deep injury by laying down new collagen. With acne, too little or too much collagen can leave a mark.
Acne scars are common, and they can affect how people feel about their skin. The good news is that many treatments can make them less noticeable.
Why It Occurs?
Acne happens when pores get clogged with oil and dead skin cells, forming comedones. Bacteria can then grow in the pore and cause inflammation, red bumps and pus-filled spots.
Deep, inflamed acne is the kind most likely to scar. Knowing which type of scar you have helps you and your dermatologist choose a treatment.
Acne severity and scarring:
Acne itself ranges from mild to severe:
- Mild acne: It causes whiteheads and blackheads.
- Moderate acne: It causes red, inflamed pimples or pimples with white centers.
- Severe acne: It causes painful, pus-filled lumps under the skin. This kind is the most likely to leave scars.
Healed acne can leave a scar, and scars are often permanent without treatment. The NHS advises that you do not pick or squeeze spots, because this can cause scars.
Treating acne early is one of the best ways to prevent scarring. The right scar treatment depends on the type of scar you have.
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Atrophic Scars:
Atrophic scars are depressed scars that sit below the surrounding skin. They form when tissue is lost during healing. There are three main kinds:
Ice Pick Scars
Ice pick scars are deep, narrow scars that extend into the dermis. They look as if the skin was punctured with an ice pick and can look like a large, open pore.
How Do They develop?
These scars develop after a deep, inflamed spot destroys skin tissue, leaving a narrow, column-like scar.
How To Treat Ice Pick Scars?
Many treatments do not reach the depth of ice pick scars, so punch techniques are often used.
Punch excision: A dermatologist uses a small, round, cookie-cutter-like tool to cut out the scar. The edges are then stitched or allowed to heal.
Punch grafting: This procedure is used for larger, deeper scars. The scar is removed and the hole is filled with a small graft of skin.
These procedures leave a small scar of their own, but it is usually less noticeable than the original one.
Boxcar scars
Boxcar scars are round or oval depressions with sharp, steep edges. They are wider than ice pick scars.
How Do They Develop?
When an inflamed breakout destroys collagen, tissue is lost. A boxcar scar forms where the tissue was lost.
How To Treat Boxcar Scars?
They can be treated with punch excision or punch elevation. In punch elevation, the base of the scar is cut free and lifted to the level of the surrounding skin instead of being replaced with a graft.
Dermal fillers are another option. A filler is injected under the scar to lift it to the level of the surrounding skin. It is quick, but most fillers are temporary and need repeat treatments; how long they last depends on the product.
Laser resurfacing is another procedure to treat these types of acne scars. There are many different types of lasers. They help stimulate new collagen, improving the tone and texture of the skin, and often need several sessions.
Rolling scars
Rolling scars cause wave-like depressions. Unlike boxcar scars, their edges are not sharply defined, so the skin looks uneven.
How Do They Develop?
These scars form when bands of fibrous tissue develop between the skin and the tissue underneath. The bands pull the top layer of skin down, which creates the rolling appearance.
How To Treat Rolling Scars?
Subcision: This is a common treatment for rolling scars, done under local anesthesia. The doctor inserts a needle under the scar and moves it back and forth to release the fibrous bands, letting the skin lift.
Results are often better when subcision is combined with other treatments, such as fillers or lasers.
2. Hypertrophic And Keloid Scars:
These are raised scars caused by too much scar tissue. Hypertrophic scars stay within the area of the original spot, while keloids grow larger than the original wound.
They are most common on the jawline, chest, back and shoulders. People with a dark complexion may be more prone to keloids.
3. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
After acne heals, a dark or discolored patch may remain. This is not a true scar, and it usually fades on its own over months.
Daily sun protection helps it fade faster. Picking at spots makes these marks more likely.
Home treatment
Over-the-counter retinoids, such as adapalene gel (Differin), help treat and prevent acne, which lowers the chance of new scars. They may slightly improve the texture of mild scars but will not remove deep ones.
Conclusion:
Many people with acne end up with at least a few acne scars. Dark marks often fade with time, but true scars usually do not go away on their own.
There are many treatments, and the best choice depends on the type of scar. A board-certified dermatologist can recommend the right treatment for your skin.
